A World-wide Field of Opportunities

When you think of firms that lead Canada’s worldwide reputation for engineering excellence, Hatch comes automatically to mind. The scope, size, and quality of the projects they undertake doesn’t just make them a world leader in their field. Their work changes economies throughout the world, and results in the improvement of many people’s lives.

Who is Hatch looking for?

“We’re looking for great people, no matter where they come from,” says Ian Cluroe, Hatch’s Global Director of Marketing and Communications. “We hire a lot of engineers all the time, and we need them to deliver projects that help our clients receive economic benefit.”

Owned by its employees, Hatch is more than just engineering. It’s a multidisciplinary firm that has been providing the Mining, Metallurgy, Energy, and Infrastructure sectors with engineering, process development, project management and construction management services for the last 80-plus years. A Canadian company with offices in 65 countries, Hatch has project experience in more than 150 nations of the world. The firm currently has 35 billion dollars in projects under management… and even in the world’s currently lean economy, they’re expanding all the time.

Hatch hires professional engineers in Canada – both newcomers and Canadian-born – by making use of the firm’s strong recruiting team. They’re very proactive about reaching out to find new talent for the firm’s ever-expanding project list. Hatch needs all types of engineers, especially those whose skills apply to the mining, metallurgy, energy, civil engineering,and structural engineering branches of the field. “We also need good project managers,” says Cluroe. “Besides people with good raw engineering skills and qualifications, we need people who can understand a project from a business perspective as well as an engineering one. We need team players, good communicators, and those who don’t mind working all over the world.”

In fact, because of the global nature of Hatch’s business, they actively recruit newcomer engineers who speak languages other than English, for clear and accurate communication with their many overseas clients. Good communication is one of the cornerstones of Hatch’s success. Their corporate culture demands more than just a job well done; they believe in doing the right job for their clients, keeping lines of communication open so that customers receive the maximum benefit of their services. Respect is part of the corporate culture at Hatch, too. Colleagues treat each other as equals, regardless of nationality, culture, language, origin, beliefs, or gender. The men and women working for Hatch value discipline, safety, quality of work, and continuous improvement on every job they do. Hatch’s continuous excellence receives frequent public recognition. Their Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project won Bentley’s Be Inspired Award for Innovation in Rail and Transit, beating 56 other finalists. The criteria for the award included lowering maintenance costs, improving knowledge and reliability of the assets, managing railway real estate, changing and renewing existing infrastructure, designing and building new infrastructure, and planning integration in an urban setting. And this March, Hatch was named one of Canada’s 50 Best-Managed Companies – for the sixth time. This is the country’s premier award for excellence in Canadian-owned and -managed firms whose revenues exceed $10 million. The award recognizes that Hatch has created many thousands of jobs, achieved sustainable growth, outperformed their competition, and achieved excellence in their field, both in Canada and around the world.

Currently, Hatch is working on a large number of projects that need engineers – everywhere in the world, from China and South Africa to Australia, South America, North America,and the Canadian Arctic. They have hired 3000 people in the past two years alone. And if Hatch believes you’re good hiring material, they offer lots of additional ways for you to advance your career: wide-reaching professional development programs, online and in-class training, constructive mentoring, and in-depth career assessments. They believe in helping their employees to reach their highest potential, meet their clients’ needs, and succeed in the company. Hatch employee programs even include social and team-building events and networking opportunities, which are especially useful to newcomers adjusting to life in the Canadian workplace. What advice would Hatch give to newcomer engineers looking for employment in Canada? “Besides having the skills and qualifications, networking is the most important thing,” says Cluroe. “In this field, everybody knows each other. If you have solid skills and you get your networking connections together, more people will find you.” If you’re a new Canadian in the engineering field, you should probably take note of this opportunity. Hatch may be trying to find you already.

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